Fall 2021: Wild Readers Group 5 discussion

The book I chose to read was “The Truth Project” by Dante Medema. It’s about a teenage girl name Cordelia who is preparing for her senior project. Most high school seniors were worried about this project, but she figured she would do a similar project to her older sister which covered their genealogy by sending in a DNA test and sharing results through poetry. But her results came back different than her sisters, showing that the father that raised them, was not her biological father. At this point, the emotion that I felt as a reader was so real. I became so invested in Cordelia’s journey. Cordelia confides in her project partner, Kodiak, who she’s always had a crush on. His rebellious reputation in their small Alaskan community intrigues Cordelia in helping her find her biological father Jack. Cordelia makes contact with Jack and makes plans to join the poetry retreat that her class is attending, as a way to meet him. Understandably angry, Cordelia confronts her mother. Her mother tries to explain her infidelity and the type of person Jack is. Cordelia begins to rebel and forges her parents’ signature to attend the retreat. Once Cordelia makes it to Seattle, responses from Jack abruptly stop. The ending is a bit predictable like a romance movie. Although you might be able to predict what’s coming, you still finish the book in tears...at least I did! I can’t relate to Cordelia and the news she experienced, but I am very close with my dad and think this is why the ending had me so emotional! I really enjoyed this book and think it would be fun to see what seniors in high school think about it. It definitely would be more interesting to girls than boys, due to the drama. There is a lot of drama between Cordelia and Sana (her best friend) that I think teen girls would relate to. I also think teens would find this book interesting because the book is written through emails and text messages. It felt like a very modern and relatable read! I definitely recommend this book!